When it comes to welding, the salaries vary a lot. It depends on how skilled you are and how far you are willing to travel. Welding is a career choice that does not require a college degree. Welders are judged by their skill level and a hands on welding test. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics in their Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016–17 Edition, median annual salaries for Welders in May 2016 were $30,594. The middle 50 percent earned between $24,733 and $37,515. The lowest 10 percent had incomes …show more content…
Some of the best known welding methods include: energy sources that can be used for welding, including a gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an electron beam, friction, and ultrasound. While often an industrial process, welding may be performed in many different environments, including under water, and in outer space several modern welding techniques were developed, including manual methods like SMAW, now one of the most popular welding methods, as well as semi-automatic and automatic processes such as GMAW, SAW, FCAW and ESW. Developments continued with the invention of laser beam welding, electron beam welding, magnetic pulse welding (MPW), and friction stir welding in the latter half of the century. Today, the science continues to advance. Robot welding is commonplace in industrial settings, and researchers continue to develop new welding methods and gain greater understanding of weld